OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – Organized crews of thieves have been targeting high-end homes across Metro Detroit in recent weeks, breaking in and stealing items of value while avoiding security systems and, mostly, evading capture.
The string of burglaries are being carried out by trained thieves originating from Chile, according to Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard. These Chilean crews are allegedly responsible for a significant number of thefts at homes, jewelry stores, and of cars in Michigan and beyond.
In Metro Detroit, the crews have been targeting isolated, high-end homes, but the homes aren’t only in exclusive and expensive neighborhoods. Sheriff Bouchard said Wednesday that any home that fits the thieves’ criteria can be targeted, even if the homes around it might not fit the bill.
Dozens of these high-end break-ins have been reported in Oakland County since September, officials said.
Thieves are targeting expensive homes, particularly million-dollar homes, and are going after houses that have thick landscaping and/or back up to wooded areas, trees, shrubs, a golf course, trails, and the like. The thieves are using these areas to stake out the house, and wait for a time to strike, officials say.
So far, Sheriff Bouchard says the thieves hitting Metro Detroit homes appear to be nonconfrontational. If they hear someone, or something happens during a break-in, the thieves flee.
The thieves are often entering the homes through glass doors and windows, sometimes using ladders to enter second-floor windows. In a news conference held on Wednesday, Dec. 6, Bouchard shared surveillance videos from multiple homes showing the crews as they break in.
Watch the surveillance footage in the video up above.
While breaking into the homes, the thieves are using devices called jammers, which literally jam frequencies to prevent any information from getting in or out. These jammers block wireless alarm and security systems, glass break alarms, wireless internet service, and the like.
Though the thieves have been captured on surveillance cameras, they’ve been able to avoid alarm systems inside and outside of the homes by using jammers.
Once inside, the thieves are going after valuable items like jewelry, precious metals, electronics, purses, watches, and safes.
“... If there’s a safe that’s not attached or they can either break into it on scene or carry it, they’ll do that,” Bouchard previously said.
Dressed in all black, the thieves haul away the stolen items, and have largely evaded police so far.
The stolen items will get sent to fences, or someone who buys the stolen property in order to sell it, typically in the Miami, Los Angeles, and New York City areas, Bouchard said. Some items will get shipped back to Chile.
Similar crimes and burglaries across the U.S., that are believed to involve the same Chilean crews as in Metro Detroit, have reportedly included devices like trackers on cars, and trail cams to identify when homeowners are at home.
“This group is methodical,” Bouchard said.
---> High-end home thefts: Everything we know after Oakland County sheriff’s update
Where the thieves are coming from
Authorities previously said that the thieves appear to be involved in an organized crime network that originates in South America. On Wednesday, Bouchard said the crews are all coming from the country of Chile.
According to Bouchard, the thieves are getting into the U.S. using one of two methods: Illegally entering at the country’s border, or through the Visa Waiver Program, which “enables most citizens or nationals of participating countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa,” the U.S. government says.
Crews out of Chile are reportedly targeting homes, cars and businesses across the country, and continue to move around the country. Bouchard said the crews of thieves are “very much trained,” and continuously move on to new communities to avoid being found.
When asked where the crews might be living, Bouchard said it’s hard to say, since they move around so frequently. The crews will successfully hit a target, and then move on to another community, or even another state, Bouchard said.
In an effort to catch the crews, and to prevent more from coming into Metro Detroit to commit crimes, the sheriff’s office is partnering with 30 local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to establish a task force. Together, the agencies plan to share information and team up on efforts to track down the thieves.
“We need federal help,” Bouchard said. “If we catch one crew and two more are on the way, we’re trying to plug holes in a dam that’s breaking.”
The Oakland County sheriff made it clear, however, that the task force is not concerned about immigration. He said immigration is a policy that’s up to the federal government, and that this task force is primarily concerned with focusing on the individuals coming to the U.S. specifically to commit crimes.